Author: Dave West

Dave West is a writer, interviewer, and podcaster who also hosts game shows, wrestling events, and rock concerts as his alter ego, Phantom Troublemaker. As the owner/operator of NeedlessThingsPodcast.com he has been providing commentary on toys, movies, music, and all manner of pop culture for over a decade.

Needless Things Podcast 239 – Happy Birthday, Mickey Mouse!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4jeiq-9f422c

One of the world’s most well-known animated shorts, Steamboat Willie, premiered on November 18th, 1928. Since then it’s star, Mickey Mouse, has become an almost unparalleled pop culture icon.

To celebrate Mickey’s 90th birthday Dave West, Sean Reid, Ryan Cadaver, Dan Wilson, and Derek Tatum shared their Mickey memories on this very special episode of the Needless Things Podcast. From toys to cartoons to theme parks, the crew discuss the history of one of the world’s most beloved characters!

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Plus! Dave talks to Jami Jones – a fixture of the Georgia comic book scene – about her new store, Infinite Realities! Opening on December 1st in Tucker, GA, Infinite Realities promises to be a destination stop for fans of comics and pop culture for years to come!
Listen in for big comic book news and a celebration of Mickey Mouse!
Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com
Interstitial music provided by The Mystery Men?
You can follow Dave as Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Movie Review – 12 Thoughts About The Grinch

SPOILER WARNING – THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE 2018 ANIMATED FEATURE THE GRINCH

I LOVE Christmas.

In a more general sense, I LOVE the holiday season, which is inclusive of anything folks celebrate during the last couple of months of the year. There’s an undeniable excitement about days off of work, fellowship, lights, gifts, the joyful hustle and bustle of stores, weather getting cooler, and the impending hopefulness of a fresh, new year.

Some of you read that paragraph and thought, “Yeah, it’s awesome!”

Some of you read it and thought, “What a tool. Everything is terrible and there’s no joy to be had in this world” and probably some variation on “darkest timeline”.

The Grinch could possibly satisfy both mindsets. Continue reading “Movie Review – 12 Thoughts About The Grinch” →

Home Again – November’s Blu-Ray Releases

Welcome to Home Again, where each and every Tuesday I’ll be running down some of the best genre releases coming to home media. In general I won’t be covering 4K because I find the format overrated, but if it’s new and happens to have some kind of edition feature I might mention it.

All info is from the excellent Blu-ray.com. This isn’t every genre release, just the ones I find interesting. For the full list, follow that link. Continue reading “Home Again – November’s Blu-Ray Releases” →

TV Review – 15 Thoughts About Daredevil Season 3

SPOILER WARNING – THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE THIRD SEASON OF THE NETFLIX SERIES DAREDEVIL

Netflix’s Marvel’s Daredevil (or whatever the nomenclature is) has been one of the streaming service’s most consistent programs thanks to an excellent cast and mostly good plotting.

I loved the first season, liked the second quite a bit, and mostly loathed Defenders.

But the end of Defenders left one of our heroes, Matt Murdock – aka Daredevil, the man without fear – fresh for new stories and personal growth. I was excited for the third season, and even more so knowing that the focus would be back on Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk as the primary antagonist.

Did they pull off an excellent season of television or was this another hot start/middle slog/big finish? Read on. Continue reading “TV Review – 15 Thoughts About Daredevil Season 3” →

Comic Book Wednesday – Previews November 2018: “Geoff Johns Needs A New Pool”

If you don’t know, Previews is the catalog that Diamond Comic Distributors use to offer the products they distribute to comic book stores around the country. This is where you can view and order (through your favorite Local Comic Book Shop) comic books, trade paperback collections, t-shirts, books, media, and toys and other collectibles from hundreds of different vendors that deal in geek-oriented merchandise. The genius part is that you actually have to pay for your copy of Previews for the privilege of ordering other things to pay for.

It’s like the Ren Fest except without the horse poo smell.

So every month a new edition of Previews is sent out to comic book stores. Contained in the pages within are products that might be currently available or could be released anytime in the next year; but are typically about two months away. Most of this month’s offerings are scheduled to ship in January.

Now it’s time to discuss a few of the weird and/or wonderful items offered in this month’s edition! Continue reading “Comic Book Wednesday – Previews November 2018: “Geoff Johns Needs A New Pool”” →

Home Again – November’s Blu-Ray Releases

Continuing by popular demand!

In October I highlighted the horror movies that were hitting Blu-ray each Tuesday. I had fun writing those columns, and I guess you guys had fun reading them because a poll in the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group determined that you wanted the column to continue!

Since we’re past the spooky season now (not that it ever really ends), I’m also going to be including other genre releases and maybe even the occasional foreign drama. Ha. I’m kidding.

So from here into the foreseeable future, each and every Tuesday I’ll be running down some of the best genre releases coming to home media. In general I won’t be covering 4K releases because I find the format overrated, but if it’s a new release that happens to have some kind of edition feature I might mention it.

All release info is from the excellent Blu-ray.com. Continue reading “Home Again – November’s Blu-Ray Releases” →